Remember Before Depression, When You Used To Believe A Good Future Was Possible?

There probably was a time before depression when you were able to believe in the possibility of a good future for yourself. Maybe you saw yourself in a fulfilling relationship with a life partner, or you expected to achieve meaningful goals in your personal life or career? Maybe it’s hard to remember feeling the way you did before depression. Maybe it’s hard to even notice the joy of being alive?

Maybe it’s been a very long time since you’ve been able to feel this way. Maybe it just hurts too much to even believe a better world is possible. Depression might make it seem better to be numb than to feel overwhelmed by sadness, fear, or anger.

Maybe Something Changed…

Sometimes people can point to a time in their lives when they began to experience depression, while others remember always feeling this way.

Some people become depressed as a result of overwhelming situations where they feel helpless – such as growing up in a family with mental illness or addiction – where nobody saw them or met their needs.

Some people point to situations where they were bullied. Others to times of difficult changes like the onset of disabilities, the death of a loved one, or stressful situations – like difficult jobs, relationship problems, financial losses, or the experience of raising a baby.

Life Became Unsatisfying

Depression appears in different forms to different people, but most people report feeling much less energy to do things. Sometimes they will sleep more than usual, sometimes they sleep less, and often they report difficulty falling or staying asleep.

Many people say that they don’t feel like going out and being with friends or family, or doing the hobbies and activities they used to enjoy. They tend to isolate themselves and sometimes turn to alcohol or drugs to help manage their feelings. Sometimes people will lose their appetite and lose weight with depression, and other people find that they eat more than usual.

Depression may be affecting your work and relationships. You might find it harder to get out of bed in the morning, and you’re reluctant to reach out to the people who care about you. Maybe your family and friends have suggested that you see a therapist because they’re concerned.

You May Be Thinking About Suicide

In moments of clarity, people with depression sometimes notice that doing the things that depression tells them to do – like staying away from people who care about you, avoiding exercise, and assuming that only the worst things will happen – only makes it worse.

Those moments of clarity tend to become less and less frequent the worse that depression becomes.

As the cycle of depression worsens, sometimes people begin to wish they could go to sleep and not wake up. Sometimes those feelings turn into ideas or plans as it seems like things won’t ever be better, and people think of how to kill themselves.

It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way

A lot of the pain you’re feeling probably comes from a sincere desire to find a way out from a sense of suffering that seems unending and overwhelming. There is a way out, but it probably involves doing things that might feel new or uncomfortable. It might mean taking the risk of trying something with no way of knowing for sure if it will work.

You already know the risks associated with remaining depressed. You feel isolated, sad, numb, hopeless, and as if life has lost its vitality. Therapy has risks, but many people find that the possible benefits of therapy – of feeling hope and working toward a good future – make it worth the risk.

Matthew “Matt” Lindgren Would Like To Help With Depression Therapy In Oakland

Depression is one of the most extensively researched mental health problems, and tends to be quite treatable for many, but not all, people. Therapy is often a powerful tool in the treatment of depression.

You owe it to yourself to work with a talented and skilled therapist to recover from depression. Matthew Lindgren has helped many people recover from depression to lead happy, fulfilling lives. He uses treatment techniques based on clinical research, and he always collaborates with you about what activities you’re doing in therapy, and why.

Matthew “Matt” Lindgren is a therapist who helps people in Oakland recover from depression with therapy to lead productive lives.